Method for bettering pelts and hides



Z,470,1 l l May 17, 1949. G. A. RUBlssow METHOD FOR BETTERING PELTS ANDHIDES Filed March 24, 1945 Evi/niv? Patented May 17, 1949 METHOD FORBETTERING PELTS AND HIDES George A. Rubissow, New York, N. Y.

Application March 24, 1945, Serial No. 584,565

3 Claims. (Cl. 117-119) The present invention relates to the method andmeans for the treatment of pelts, hairy hides of animals and skins ofreptiles having scales, and serves to prevent the shedding of hairs orpeeling of scales.

It is known that hairy hides do not retain for long the necessarytightness of the hide in which the roots of the hairs are lodged, due todrying and/or chemical decomposition of the hide.

This invention provides means for considerably bettering the conditionof the hairy hides so that, the hide will not dry out and therefore willnot shed.

This invention provides a special impregnating means and method ofapplication.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 shows one of the simplified embodiments of the apparatus in across-sectional side view with parts broken out.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of a coating means.

Fig. 3 is a plane view of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the skin is shown out of proportion (enlarged) to makereading easier.

This invention comprises a method of impregnating hairy hides withnatural or articial rubber (latex) or rubber-containing materials and,when desired, curing or prevulcanizing same imvpregnations eitherbefore, during, or after such impregnation has been applied.

One example, for the purpose of illustrating this method and means, isdescribed in this specication, but this, however, does not limit theinvention thereto.

In Fig. 1, a supporting or bottom casing Ill is shown, on which the topplate II' is mounted or forms a part thereof. The top casing I2 withit's bottom flanges I3 are so designed that they occupy at least a partof the top plate, forming a closed contour either on top or sideways.

One of the aspects comprises having the bottom casing I in the form of ahermetically sealed container, achieved by providing a safety cushionIII made from soft rubber or a soft gelatine mixture or other suitable,highly elastic material which is interposed between the top plate II andthe flanges I3; the hides I5 being placed, for instance, with the smoothside I6 upwards and the fur, hair or scales I1 downwards. If desired,another highly elastic medium means I8, of the same character aspreviously described (cushion I 4) may be interposed between the bottomflanges I3 and the hides I6. Pressure means such as clamps or screws I9may be provided to press the bottom casing Ill towards the top plateI'I, thus compressing the parts 20, 2| of the hides in between thecushions I4 and I8. Such compression may, if desired, lead tohermetioally sealing the hairs or scales at that portion due to theabovementioned pressure. Should this sealing pressure still beinsucient, to produce a desired substantially hermetical sealing thenthe hairs or scales may be wetted with a neutral liquid prior tocompression; such neutral liquid being water, parain grease, etc. whichis easily removable.

Support screen 22, with additional reinforcements such as bars, etc. 23,24 may be provided and rested on a resting means 25, 26, 2'I, preferablyin a closed contour in the body of said casing, permitting the skins torest on same. A groove 8 may also be provided when it is desirable tobend the screen as shown by the example in Fig. 1, for tighterinsertion. The screen is not shown in Fig. 2 to simplify the drawing.

A vacuum 28, of a desired intensity, is provided in the bottom casingIll and is maintained, if desired, by continuous pumping means 29, 30(the pump is not shown in the drawings since it is self-explanatory).Thus, the air 3| from the bottom casing tends to slowly flow in thedirection of the vacuum. At this time or prior to creating the vacuum,the outer layer 9 of the hide IB is to be covered With a suitablerubber-containing impregnating means in a uid or substantially uidstate, with or without applying heat and/or pressure in the upper casingI2.

Such rubber-containing impregnating means may be, by way of example,latex or natural rubber applied in its crude form as a layer.Immediately after such an impregnation is made up to predetermineddesired depths into the skin from its smooth or from the hairy or scalyside and in a predetermined desired quantity, the process ofimpregnation may be stopped by substituting the vacuum with the ysamepressure which is in the top chamber.

There after such latex layer may be pulverized with rubber-hardeningmeans or rubber curing means well-known in the industry, and thereafterthe hide may be vulcanized or prevulcanized to a desired degree ofrubber hardness either by applying direct heat or by infra-red or otherheating rays. If desired, the whole hide may rst be impregnated with thelatex or other rubbercontaining layer, or this may be achieved bycontinuously removing one part of the skin which has been impregnatedand there after impregnating the neighboring part and so on until theWhole skin has been impregnated.

Instead of natural latex, articial `substitutes of rubber, well-known inthe art, may be used.

This invention is not limited to the above ex- 1 amples of the rubbercontaining impregnating means and other mixture of varnishes and/orlacquers With rubber (natural or artificial) may be used.

Instead of using vacuum 28 in the bottom casing Hl, this casing "may beat the atmospheric Ypressure 'while the top casng'is under any desirablepressure, higherthan atmospheric. For

instance, l atmosphereimay'be in the bottom casing and 5 lbs., 10 lbs.,or '50 lbs. or more in the upper'casing; or 2'at'mospheres maybe in thebottom casing and 3' or '4 in the upper,etc. This is for example only.

To introduce the impre'gnating means, coating means of lvarioistypes'ma'y be applied such as "a ybrush 32, vprovided 'with entrances 33and `311 through Which the impregnating medium is penetrating into thebristles 35 or" the brush and'there- 4`after the brush is rubber "alongthe hide leaving as much impregnating means as desired. `An ordinarypainters brush can also be used (not shown in the drawing as it is`selfexplanatory) or a pulverizing injector'pr a pluralityof them '35,Si, and' the impregnating means is spread on the hide.

Although this invention pertains mostly to irn- -pregnating the hairyhide'fr'om thesmoothside,

the impregnation may also be made from the hairy side if so desired. Inthis event the folvlicle of the hair and the a'djacent'skin shouldbefirst covered with im'pregnating fluid 'of the character hereindescribed:` and thereafter a difference of gas pressure be applied inthe opposite direction than that previously described;

i. e., the lower pressure onthe smooth sideofi the hide "and the higherpressure on `the hairy side.

Although thisinventi'on pertains mostly to the impregnation of pelts, i;e. hairy hides itis not limited thereto since the same processes may',also be applied to reptilianskins having scales and in this case it isobvious that this process will keep such skin from drying outyvlillincrease its impregnability and will reduce the peeling of scales.

Still another method vcomprises first drying and/or dehydrating the hideand thereafter yapply the method of impregnation. This vparticularmethod will open the pores by drying and will consequently make suchhides more receptive for impregnation.

Any type of hide may be so treated including reptilian skins havingscales, long and sh0rthaired furs, etc. The hide and hides having scalesso treated with this means will have much better characteristics,particularly, it will not dry "out'and/or shed or peel, this being fofprimaryi` limportance to the trade.

Having now ascertained and particularly de- "scribed the nature of myinvention and the manner in'which it is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is:

1. A method of preventing the shedding of "hairsfr'om pores of furs andof hairy hides of 'animals comprising: rst applying a layer of rubbercontaining solution on the smooth side 'ofsaid furs and said hairyhides, second providing a lower gas pressure on the hairy side offurs'and said hairy hids"`thah' thepressure "o'nfsa'id smoothisidegtleiebyforeibly introduc- *ing said solution intoy said pores,third Touring *said fursv and said hairy hides tliereloy'vul'can'iz'igsaid solution.

2 A methodof 'preventing :the shedding of hairs from pores of fu'rs ofanimals1-compri'sirg:

' frst applying a' layer' lof rubber containing soluviding a lower gaspressure "'o'n 'thef's'rnooth Iside Aof said fursy than the-pressure "onsaid hairy'si'de, thereby forcibly introducing said 'solution into saidpores, third vulcanizing said layer whereby saidc urs is preventedfior'i'ishddng. I

3. A methodof ipl'vehtirlg the V'shedding' "of hairs from pores 'of'furs'of fanimals comprising:

irst dehydrating said fur'by means of drying,

second "applying a, layer of'a rubber containing solution on one side ofsaidfursf tl'iirdvprovidiig falov'ver gas pressure 'on the other side oflsaid'rfurs than the pressure "on "fsaid rst 4mentioned side therebyforcibly introducing said `solution into said'por'es, fourth curing saidfurs there'b'y'v'ulcanizing said layer. A y y 4 GEORGE A.`RUBISSOW.

REFERENCES CITED yThe following referencesare of record in :the

ile of this patent:

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1,667,408 ,enen 'A'pr. v24, "1'928 v1,860J'a`51 Bradley et'al. May 31,112932 1,926,943 Hauoran sept. 12, 193B 2,032,027 Rees Feb `25,1l'2,065,892 Hanley Dec. 29,1936 A2,069,753 Einhardt Feb. 9,-'1937FOREIGN PATENTS `Nurnber Country `Date 209,811 Great *Britain Y 1J an.I6, 1924

